Big hits are all in the family for Catty's Paige Kogelman

The Rough Riders' senior outfielder has a big league connection in big brother Anthony Recker, a catcher for the Mets.

Catasauqua's Paige Kogelman (left) score a run on a pass ball during… (KEVIN MINGORA, THE MORNING…)

May 16, 2013|Keith Groller

Paige Kogelman had a night to remember on Tuesday when her Catasauqua team rolled past Palmerton 15-4 in the Colonial League semifinals.

And the news of Kogelman's 4-for-4 performance at the plate, which featured six RBIs, probably made it all the way to St. Louis.

That's where Kogelman's brother, Anthony Recker, was spending that night as a catcher for the New York Mets.

Despite an 11-year gap in age, the 18-year-old Kogelman and 29-year-old Recker are close, always staying in touch and encouraging one another.

So the big leaguer, also a Catasauqua High product, had to be thrilled to hear about what happened at Pates Park where Kogelman had two doubles and drove in five runs in a 10-run fourth inning for the Rough Riders.

"He's always there supporting me and telling me I can do it," Kogelman said. "I'm always supporting him, too. We got this thing going where I tell him what he's doing wrong and he tells me what I am doing wrong. In the end, we work together. We talk a lot about hitting."

Kogelman said she tries to attend every Mets Sunday home game.

"Basically, I get there every other week," she said. "I'm very proud of him. He has set goals that have inspired me and make me want to accomplish more."

Recker proved that you can dream big and also that you don't have to go a major college program to make your way into the big leagues.

He went to Division III Alvernia College and attracted the attention of big league scouts with a stellar career that included 214 RBIs and 44 home runs.

Kogelman, who has been a fixture in the Roughies' outfield for four years, is headed to West Chester.

CHAMPIONSHIP CHATTER

The Mountain Valley Conference championship game is set for 5 p.m. today at Pocono Mountain East. As expected, it's Pleasant Valley and Stroudsburg meeting for the crown.

The Bears are led by senior pitcher Ricki Correll, who was voted the league's MVP. She tossed a two-hitter over five innings as PV routed East Stroudsburg South 12-0 in Wednesday's semifinals.

Stroudsburg won the other semifinal, beating Pocono Mountain East 8-3.

Pleasant Valley and Stroudsburg split their regular-season meetings with Stroudsburg winning the most recent game, 4-0, last Friday.

The Bears have won the last two league titles and eight of the last nine with Stroudsburg breaking through for the 2010 championship en route to a district championship.

The winner of this game will get a top seed and a first-round bye in the District 11 4A tournament, which is set to begin on Tuesday. The field will include 13 teams, meaning three teams will get first-round byes into the quarterfinals and five games will be played on Tuesday.

A win by Bethlehem Catholic over Emmaus in the LVC title game Thursday night would give the MVC champion the No. 1 seed in 4A.

The Schuylkill League title will also be on the line today as Pine Grove goes for its third league championship in four years when it meets Tri-Valley. The game is set for 7 p.m. at Blue Mountain.

The Cardinals rolled into the finals with a 12-0, five-inning win over Mahanoy Area on Tuesday. Tri-Valley defeated Pottsville 6-5 in nine innings in the other semifinal.

If Pine Grove (19-1) wins the Schuylkill title, it would get the No. 1 seed in the District 11 2A tournament and won't play until the semis. The 2A field will have just five teams. The same is true of the 3A field, meaning there will be only four games played in each of those classifications.

The Class A tournament will feature seven teams.

The District 11 pairings will be officially announced on Sunday.

MIGHTY QUINN

It was a disappointing season for Easton, but senior shortstop Chelsea Quinn became the fourth player in program history to reach double figures in career home runs.

Quinn hit her 10th home run in a 2-1 loss to Freedom on May 2.

She joined Amanda Paulus, a 2007 graduate; Michelle Grundhauser, a 2008 grad; and former Morning Call player of the year Sara Rasley, a 2011 graduate. Rasley hit 18 home runs, while Paulus and Grundhauser had 14.

Quinn, who also had more than 50 RBIs in her career, will join former Easton teammate Audra Heilman playing field hockey in the Big Ten. Heilman is at Indiana University and Quinn is headed to Ohio State.

ALL-AREA ALERT

Coaches, we are again looking for your help in compiling The Morning Call's all-area team, which will be released sometime in mid-June. We'll accept nominations until Saturday, June 1, which gives everybody a chance to see the entire District 11 tournament.

Even more appreciated than nominations from your own team are your top choices from other teams.